


Improvement

by romnovs (tashatops)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Physical Disability, Raven-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 13:25:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8104123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tashatops/pseuds/romnovs
Summary: Raven starts going to the gym, and begins a new friendship.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kirargent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirargent/gifts).



> Okayy so this is for the nws exchange on tumblr, for Autumn who prompted: "raven and lincoln (non shippy) bonding quietly & doing some healing :') maybe doing something physical bcs raven's such a physical character, but rly anywhere u wanna go w/ this. just a nice graphic or some gifs w them being resilient is good too!!! literally. do anything u want."
> 
> I really hope you'll like it :)

It takes her a while to get accustomed to it, to the lack of feeling in her leg. 

Not being able to rely on it as she did before is really hard. She hates the looks of  _ pity  _ people send her way, hates the pain she feels sometimes, she hates all of it.

But she builds a brace, she builds a brace and moves on. 

It gets relatively easier after that. The sudden pains don’t really go away, but it does feel better not having to rely on other people to go about her day, even if she still falls sometimes. 

Jackson catches it happening one time. Raven’s trying to get to Sinclair to convince him to let her go to work again, when she feels her leg give out. She quickly throws herself against the nearest wall and supports her weight against it, giving her leg some time to rest before attempting to walk again. 

It doesn’t work, though, and she’s gasping from the effort before her leg gives out completely and she crumbles to the floor.  

“Hey, hey, you okay?” Jackson asks softly as he hurries beside her, dropping his things on the floor as he kneels.

“I’m fine.” Her voice is cold when she replies and Raven can feel Jackson relent. She tries to get up, but can’t muster the strength to do it so she decides to rest back on her hands until her leg decides to cooperate. 

“You haven’t been doing your physical therapy, have you?” Jackson asks, although he sounds more cautious this time.

“I don’t need to. I’ve been doing just fine.” It’s a lie, she knows it is, and she can tell Jackson knows it too from the look on his face.

He sighs and looks around before standing up. “Tell you what,” he starts, extending his hand to help her up. “You let me help you up and walk with you, I tell you some exercises you’ll need to do in order to start your recovery…” He pauses at the skeptical look Raven gives him, but a smile stretches wide across his face as he keeps going. “And maybe I’ll consider talking to Sinclair about that job you want so much.”

Raven rolls her eyes, but she smirks slightly. Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea if it’ll get her back to work again. Besides, she really does need a distraction.

She takes Jackson’s hand.

 

-

 

She starts slowly, with only some gentle stretching exercises in the morning and some more at night before getting in bed; her leg doesn’t hurt as much when she rests on it for too long and she doesn’t get as exhausted from it either.

After that, she moves on to a more advanced routine and runs into Lincoln a couple of times. She doesn’t know much about him, just the basic info Octavia told her, but they share looks and nod in greeting every time they pass each other by in the “gym” area. 

Technically, Raven doesn’t know if it should be called a gym with what little equipment they actually have. But it’s as close as they’ll get, she figures, and it’s certainly good enough for her excersices.

She likes it, though, the camaraderie they develop between them. Raven does her routine and Lincoln works on his, and it all just  _ fits _ . They’re silent as they work out, each of them pushing themselves more each day. Lincoln doesn’t get in her way, doesn’t look at her with that pity she hates. He looks at her like he understands, and she likes that about him. He doesn’t try to help. He lets Raven handle things on her own because she can.

Until one day, she can’t.

She’s walking beside parallel bars, both her hands gripping the bars beside her in case she loses her balance. That hasn’t happened in a long time so she isn’t worried it will now. 

It starts as a cold, tingling sensation that spreads from her calf and up her leg. And before she knows it she’s on the floor, clutching her leg and letting out a sob at how much it  _ hurts _ . Suddenly, in the midst of the pain, she remembers Jackson’s words:  _ phantom pain.  _

Her brain is numbed with pain, so much that she almost can’t hear Lincoln’s words. “What can I do?” he asks seriously, already waiting by her side. 

“Heat,” she manages to grit through her teeth. “There should be some heating pads in my bag.” 

Lincoln nods and stands quickly, rummaging through the bag when he hears her hold back a sob again. “You’re going to be okay,” he assures her, offering a small smile as he comes back to her and presses the heat pad against her leg. 

Raven nods, and she doesn’t try as hard to hold back her sobs anymore.

 

-

 

Things get back to normal after that. They both go back to their routines at the gym, and Raven tells Jackson about the incident and he gives her some guidelines. Everything is fine.

Lincoln and she start talking more, and Raven is surprised at how much she actually enjoys his company. He tells her about how things are going with him and Octavia and about his new job as a guard. 

One day, he also tells her about how he’s overcoming his addiction to the Reaper drugs. He tells her how he still struggles sometimes, how he comes to the gym every day because it keeps him going, gives him a distraction and keeps him motivated. Raven understands. 

She’s so grateful to Jackson, who encouraged her into doing this. She has him in her corner now, him and Octavia and Bellamy, and now Lincoln too. 

Lincoln suggests they start jogging together in the mornings and hey, Raven thinks, maybe she’ll be okay after all.


End file.
